Apparatus for the rectification of petroleum.



PATENTED NOV. 27, 1906.

' B. A. BARBET.

APPARATUS FOR THE REGTIFIGATION 0P PETROLEUM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1902.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET X J armzender'. '1'

No. 836,732. PATBNTED NOV. 27, 1906.

' .E'. ALBARBET. APPARATUS FOR THE REGTIFIOATION 0F PETROLEUM.

APPLICATION rmm mm". 20. 1902. v

' 2 suns-sum a.

QEMIL AUGUSTIN BARBET, or mine, FRANon'AssIoNoa or ONE-HALF BET, a citizen of France, residing, at Paris,

, UNITED sTArEsPAT NT OFFICE.

To EDM.-J'-ANDRIER, OF PEACE DALE; RHODEISLAND. APPARATUS Fo FiTHE. RECTIFIQATION oF PETROLEUM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov'. 27, 199s.

Applicatiori' filed June 20, 1902-; Serial No, 112,528.

To all whom it may concern.-

' Be it known that I, EMILE AUGUsTI' BAR France, have invented certaln new and useful Improvements inApparatus for the Rectification of Petroleum, of which the following is a specification accompanied by drawings.

This invention re ates to improvements in apparatus for the continuous rectification of petroleum; and its objects are to improve upon such apparatus, dispense with the costlv and unsafe boilers hitherto used, and

enable the crude etroleumto be readily .separated into its different compounds.

after appear; and to these endstheinvention consists of the apparatus for carrying out the :above objects embodying the features of construction, combinations of elements, and

, drawings, in which Figure 1 1s a s1de elevation, partly in section, of a portion of the apparatus embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of another portion of the apparatus. Figs. 1 and 2 are shown diagrammatically, and they should be read placing the sheets'side by side, so that the pi ing may be traced from one figure to the ot er. Fig. 3 is a detail vertical sectional view of the condenser L on the line y y of Fig. 1, showing the connections of the piping thereto and the interior construction of the condenser. o

Referring to the drawings, A'represents a suitable rectifyingecolumn for the oil, provided with perforated plates B and C. The

preferably arranged in the lower portion of the column, which coil may be supplied. with steam from any suitable source.

E re resents a tubular heater in which the oil to he supplied to the column A is first heated. The heater E comprises a suitable cylindrical casing and tube-sheets in the top and bottom, (represented by thedotted lines 30.) The interior of the heater E is constructed like the tubular condenser L.

(Shown in detail sectional view in Fig. 3.)'

Other objects of the invention will herein-lconnected by side of the tubes of the heater connected between the tube-sheets 30, While the oil passes .into the bottom of the heater beneath the V which communicates with the rectifying-column A at a point above the upper plateB' of the lower series ofplates B. I v

I and L represent tubular condensers con- I structed like Fig. 3, which is a sectional view, of'condens'er Each condenser comprises" a casmg provided with tube-sheets 31 which carry the vertical tubes 32. @Thecooling liquid enters thelower portion of condenser L by means of the pipe 33/passes up throu h the tubes 32 into the upper portion 0ft 0.

condenser, then down through theconnecting-p'ipe K to the lower-portionof condenser 5 I, thence upward through tubes 32 iusaid condenser and out by the nine 54*; 'v The upper portion of column A 1s connected by a vapor-pipe H with the spacearound' the tubes 32- in condenser I, and said space is a pipe J with the space around the tubes in condenser L.

.Pipe connections P are provided for condenser L, connected to the space around the condenser-tubes, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and these ipe connections communicate with each 0t er, and from the upper connection I a pipe S extends. From the lower connection I pipes Q and M extend downwardly, pipe Q leading to a proof-bottle R, while pi e M connects with a pipe N, leading from t e.

space around the tubes of condenser I. Pipes M and N terminate in a common pipe O,

which leads to the u per portion of the upper part of the column above the plates C.

According to the construction described the oil entering column A through pipe G passes to the bottom of the column from plate to plate and is deprived of its most volatile parts. The vapor above the top or feed ing plate B contains some of the heavier products, which are gotten rid of in the upper ortion of the column A and in the condensers I and L. The vapors rising from the'top of the column A pass first to the condenser I, where a. portion of them are condensed, the lighter products passing through ipe J to the condenser L, where further con ensation takes place, and some gases, such as cymogene e and rhigolene, escape bymeans of the upper from the beginning to nected by pipe c cause the oil is pipe connection P and ipe'S to be used in any desired manner. ome of the volatile roducts condensed in condenser L may pass oil? through the lower pipeconnection through ipe Q to the proo -bottle R, which is provided with a regulating valve When the regulating-valve is adjusted to only permit a portion of the liquid condensed in condenser L to pass, the remaining portion I term the excess. All the excess of liquid condensed in condenser L is returned through pipes M and O to the upper portion of the column A, and the vapors condensed in condenser I arereturned by pi es N and O to the to of said column. This iquid returning to co umn A is heated in the upper part of the column on the plate 0, whereby most of the volatile parts are volatilized, so that the liquid on said plates is almost entirely freed from its volatile parts, and if from two to four per cent. of the liquid is extracted at the point U, for instance, through the piping, as shown, controlled by suitable valves, and through coolerW, a liquid having a low boiling-point and very sim le composition will be 0 tained at the proo -bottle V.

No difierence of temperature will be shown the, end of the distilla- If some of the liquid is extracted several lates lower down, as at the points X or Y, omogeneousliquids having well-marked difierences in specific gravities and boiling-points will be obtained at the proof-bottles X or Y.

It is of course possible to increase the numti'onof this product.

ber of products into which the petroleum is obtain liquids having special industrial uses, and these liquids are perfectly clean and transparent, for they have been produced by the condensation of vapors. When the liquid reaches the bottom of column A, it has been entirely deprived of its light constituents, and its composition will vary according to the composition of the crude oil. It is possible to obtain an oil at the point X having the composition and character of illuminating-oil if sufficient heat is supplied to the apparatus.

D represents another rectifying-column rovided with perforated dates (1 and e.

f represents what I term a reheater, bereheated therein. This reheater 1' in this instance is of tubular form, constructed substantially like the condenser shown in Fig. 3, andis provided with tubesheets 34, to which the tubes are connected. The upper. portion of reheater f is, conwith the lower portion of Another pipe I) connects the upper chamber of the reheaterf with the lower portion of a second tubular reheater g, having tube-sheets 35. (Represented, as in the other instances, by dotted lines.) The upper portion of the second rehe'ater g is connected separated and column A.

' 25 of a suitable cooler.

is connected by means of a pipe h with the the reheater f.

for circulating the heating to thecolumn D above the plate d by means of pipe 0. Suitable means are also provided tubes in the second reheater g and also around the tubes between the tube-sheets in the first reheaterf. As shown, a pipe 3 connects the lower portion of the column D with the space around the tubes in the reheater g, and this space is also connected with the coil The top of column D space around the tubes in Said s ace is connected by another pipe 1' with t e space around the tubes in the oilsupply heater E. Said space in heater E is connected by one pipe 7' with the columnA above late B, while another pipe 1c connects t e space around the tubes in heater E with a pipe I, which pipe communicates with the space aroun the tubes in reheater f. The pipes Z and 7c connect with pipe 0, which leads back to the top of column D. Another pipe 36, having a valve, connects the lower part of column A with the lower portion of reheater f, forming a byass.

The purified oil or oil deprived of its light products passes from the lower portion of the column A by means of portion of reheaterf, an thence it asses directly by means of the pipe I) to and through the second reheater g, and thence by pipe 0 to the column D. The temperature of the oil is raised in each reheater f and g. The boiling on the different 1 total vaporization of all the illuminating-oil and even of some of the paraffin-oil, and the separation of these vapors takes place on the plates e, as hereinbefore described in connection with the plates C of column A. The vapors from the upper portion of column D may be conducted toa condenser, if desired, but preferably, as shown, these vapors are led by means of pipe h to and through reheater f, around the tubes therein, and out by pipe 1', thereby supplying the necessary heat for the reheater. These vapors also supply the heat for the heater E by passing around the tubes in said heater. Some gases may be formed in the oil-heater E, and these escape through the If a small excess of the heavier vapors, as illuminating-oil vapors, isnot condensed in the heater E, this excess also passes through pipe 7' to column A and there meets the reflux from the plate C. The two refiuxes from heater E and reheater 1' return by pipes 10 and Z, respectively, and the common pipe 0 to the top of column D.

Different grades of illuminating-oil may be extracted from the points p g r in the upper portion of column D and led to proof-bottles liquid around the pipe 1' to the column A.

pipe a to the upper plates of column D causes sired temperatures, which are keptconstant.

In this instance a boiler 1 is provided for heating column 2 represents the fire-box,

preferably arranged eccentrically to the boiler in order to create a circulation. According to this arrangement the left side of the boiler is heated more strongly than the right, because hotter gases forming the second circulation pass through the left-hand flue, and what may be termed the third circulation passes through the right-hand flue. Circulation of the liquid thus obtained is'in the direction of the arrows in the boiler and prevents the deposit of solid substances and avoids superheating. A small portion ofthe vapors produced in theboiler 1 may be utilized to ,heat the reheater g by means of the ,pi e connections descr1bednamely, through ipe 3 and cooler 25. It is advantageous that the purified oil entering column D be as near as possible at the boiling-point or even be boiling. The boiler 1 should contain a stock of liquid sufficient to regulate the vaporization.

The liquid from the boiler 1 may be pumped into the ,usual black pots, but

, even cracking, which furnishes more illuinto the boiler 7.

minatingoil, may be made continuous. As shown," there is another'cylindrical boiler 7, provided in this instance with a stirrer 8, and the exhaust-oil is pumped from boiler 1, through pipe 5, by ump 4, through pipe 6, referably a pressure of five or six atmospheres is maintained in the boiler 7, and by means of the stirring and this pressure of five or six atmospheres the cracking takes place more rapidly than in the black pots at an ordinary pressure 9 represents a third rectifying-column connected with the boiler 7 by means of pipe 10. Said pipe is shown,.-connection'is made with the lower portion of column 9. Said column is also provided with perforated plates 12 and 13.

In the operation of the apparatus the valve 11 is left slightly open in order to permit some of the vapors to be conducted to the bottom of rectifying-column through. pipe 10,

and at the same time the exhaust-valve 14 in pipe 1.5, leading to the column above plate 12*, is left open in order that the liquid may be conducted through pipe 15 to said feedingplate 12". The superheated liquid is partially transformed into vapors, which rise into the upper portion of the column. This formation of vapors produces a cooling, so that the vapors corring from the boiler 7 through pipe 10 are utilized to boil the paraffin-oil the lower portion of the column, and thus expel all that can be volatilized. The liquid passes out through pipe 17 in the lower portion of column 9, whence it may be vondi'icted to suitable parafiin-presses or to provided with a valve, and, as

the fire-box to be burned. These aration6 5 of the vapors in the upper. portion 0 column' 9 takes place as hereinbefore described in connection with the other columns.

8 represents a condenser constructed like the other condensers described with tubes and tube-sheets 38. A pipe 19 connects-the ulpper part of column 9 with the space around t e tubes in condenser 18, and said space is also connected by a li uid-return pipe 20 with the upper portion 0 column 9 Another p pe 21 connects said space around the tubes with the space above the plate (1 in column D. The condenser 18 should be fed with hot water, for cold water would solidify some of the araffin. If necessary, some steam coul be introduced in the bottom of the condenser. As shown, the pipe 34, leading from condenser I, conducts the condensingliquid to the lower portion of condenser 18, thence through the tubes and out at the outlet 41.

The vapors not condensed in condenser 18 pass through the pipe 21 to column D. The

parafiin or the oil condensed in 18 returnsthrough pipe 20 to the upper portion of column 9, and having been entirely deprived of illuminating-oil is extracted at the pipe 22 and partially cooled in the condenser 23, which is supplied with condensing fluid by means of the pipe 40, connected to the pipe 34 As int'he condenser 18, the water in the condenser 23 should be about 70 centigrade in order to avoid the solidification of the paraffin, and the paraffin thus extracted may be afterward bleached and purified. I

Some condensation may have occurred in the reheaterg, and this condensation is cooled in the cooler 25, where care must be taken to avoid solidification of the products. The

products of condensation may be sold directly either as Vaseline or paraffin or may be returned into the apparatus at the top of the column D.

According to the apparatus described the oil has been separated into ten difierent lots; but it is of course possible to obtain as many lots as there are plates in the different columns, and the separation may be controlled in accordance with the demands of the trade. The liquids obtained on the different plates will have a perfectly defined and stable composition, provided that the amount of liquid extracted at the various proof-bottles is ust equal in .quantity to the feed. A state of equilibrium is thus obtained, provided that the feed is of a constant-composition When this equilibrium is obtained,'-the separation takes place on the different plates. i

The course of the oil in its" several fractions is as follows: Oil'enters the column A from the heater E, bottom of the column, while the more volatile parts-"pass through pipe H to condenser I, whence the lighter products pass through pipe J to condenser L, Where some gases es-'- proof-bottle R. The remaining liquid condensed incondenser L is returned through pipes M and O to the upper portion of column A, andthe vapors condensed in condenser I are returned by pipes and O to the top of said column. From the lower ortion of column A -the oil passes through pipe a to the reheater f and from thence by pipe bflto a second reheater g, then by pipe C to the column D, and from the top of said column D the vapors pass by pipe 71 back to the first reheater f, thence by pipe i to the heater E and by pipe j back to column A. Some may pass by ipe k to pipe Z, connected to reheater], and from thence a pipe leads back to the column D. From boiler 1 for heating column D the oil is pumped into the boiler 7, through pipes 5 and 6, by pump 4. From boiler 7 the oil passes through pipe 10 to a third column 9 and also through pipe 1 5 to said column. The liquid passes out through pipe '17 in column 9, and. the vapors pass through pipe 19 to condenser 18, and the condensation returns by pipe 20' to column 9. The uncondensed vapors pass from condenser 18 by pipe 21 to column D. Some oil passes by pipe 22 from column 9 to cooler 23.

Obviously some features of this invention may be used Wit-llOllt others, and the invention may be embodied. in widely-varying I forms.

Therefore, without limiting the invention to the construction shown and described nor enumerating equivalents, I claim, and desire to obtain by Letters Patent, the following:

1. In apparatusfor the continuous fractional distillation. of crude petroleum, the combination of a rectifying-column having a series of upper and lower perforated plates upon which the crude'petroleuni is partially evaporated, an oil-heater for supplying heated oil to said column at a point between said series of upper and lower plates, means for heating said column, a condenser connected to the upper portion of the column in which the more volatile vapors are condensed, a,

"second condenser connected to the first condenser, connections for leading the condensed products back from both condensers to the upper portion of the column whereby the vaporization of said products is aided by the heat of the uncondensed vapors rising in the;

column from the oil distilled on the lower series of plates and means for withdrawing the different products from difierent points in the height of the column.

2. In apparatus for the continuous fractional distillation of crude petroleum, the

combination of a rectifying-column having two series of upper and lower perforated plates, means for heating the column, means for supplying heated oil to said column at a point between the series of plates, a condenser connected to the upper portion of the column, a second condenser connected to the first condenser, connectlons for leading the condensed products back from both condensers to the upper series of plates in the column, means for withdrawing the products from different points in the column, a reheater connected to the lower portion of said column for raising the temperature of the oil which has been deprived of its lighter products, a second rectifying-column having upper and lower series of plates, a second re-' heater, connections for leading the heated oil from the first reheater to the second reheater and from thence to a point in the second column between the series of plates, a connec tion from the top of the second column to the first reheater, a connection for leading the liquids from the firstreheater back to the upper series of plates in the second column and means .for withdrawing the products from different points in the height of the second column. i

3. In apparatus for the continuous frac tional distillation of crude petroleum, the combination of a rectifying-column having two series of upper and lower perforated plates, means for heating the column, means for supplying heated oil to said column at a point between the series of plates, condensers connected to the upper portion of the column, connections for leading the condensed products back to the upper series of plates in the column, means for Withdrawing the products from different points in the column, a reheater connected to the lower portion of said column for raising the temperature of the oil which has been deprived of its lighter products, a second rectifying-column having uper and lower series of plates,-connections for leading the heated oil from the reheater to a point in the second column between the series of plates, a connection from the top of the second column to the reheater, a connection for leading the liquids from the reheater back to the upper series of plates in the second column and means for withdrawing the products from different points in the height of the second column, a boiler for heating the second column, said boiler having a circulation of oil, a third rectifying-column hav ing upper and lower series of plates, connections for leading the exhaust-oil from the boiler to a point between the series of plates in the third column, a condenser connected to the upper portion of said third column, a connection between the upper portion of the boiler and the lower portion of the third column, connections for leading condensed products from the last-named condenser back to the upper ortion of the third column, a connection etween said last-named condenser and the second column and means for withdrawing the products from the third column.

4. In apparatus for the continuous fractional rectification of crude petroleum, the

' combination of a rectifying-column having portion of the a series of upper and-lower erforated plates, an oil-heater for supplying heated oil to said column at a point etween said series of upper and lower plates, means for heating said column, a condenser connected to the upper column, connections for leading the condensed products back to the upper portion of the column, means for withdrawing the different products from difi'erent jpoints in the height of the column, a first reeater connected to the first column, a second rectifying-column having upper and lower series of plates, a second reheater, connections for leading the heated oil from the first to the second reheater and from thence to a point in the second column between the series of plates, a connection from the top of thesecond column to the first reheater, a con' nection from said reheater to the oil-heater for the first column, connections for leading liquids from the said oil-heater and from the first reheater back to the upper series of plates in the second column and means for withdrawing the products from diiferent points in the height of the second column.

5. In ap aratus for the continuous fractional distl lation of crude petroleum, the combination of a rectifying-column havin two series of up er and lower perforate plates, means for eating the column, means for supplying heated oil to said column at a point between the series densers connected to the upper portion of the column, connections for leading the conof plates, condensed'products back to the upper series of plates in the column, means for withdrawing the products from different points in the col-- umn, a reheater connected to the lower portion of said column for raising the temperature of the oil Which-has-been deprived of its lighter products, a second rect' g-column 1 having upper and lowerseries 0 plates, connections for leading the heated oil from the reheater to a point in the second column between the series of plates, a connection from the top of the second column to the reheater, a connection for leading the liquids from the reheater back to the u per series of plates in the second column and means for withdrawingthe products from difl erent points in the height of the second column, a boiler for heating the second column, said first boiler having a circulation of oil, a second pressure of about five or six atmospheres connected to the first boiler, a third rectifying-column having upper and lower series of plates, connections for leading the exhaustoil from the second boiler to a point between the series of plates in the third column, a condenser connected to the upper portion of said third column, a connection between the up-.

per portion of the second boiler and the lower portion of the third column, connections for boiler under a leading condensed products from the lastnamed condenser'back to the upper portion of the third column, a connection between said last-named condenser and the second column and means for withdrawing the prod ucts from the third column.

Signed this 6th dayof June, 1902, at Paris, France.

EMILE *AUGUSTIN BARBET.

Witnesses: EDMOND BoNIFAoE,

EDWARD P. MAOLEAN. 

